Medical co-​​op delivers on student’s wish

Biology major Pritika Patel, center, worked in a health clinic in Cape Town, as part of an experiential learning opportunity.

Third-​​year biology stu­dent Pri­tika Patel squeezed into a closet-​​sized makeshift emer­gency room at a public health clinic in Cape Town, South Africa, to help a woman give birth to twins.

“To see an actual birth was com­pletely sur­real,” said Patel, who weighed the newborns.

On co-​​op from Jan­uary to April, Patel worked closely with nurse prac­ti­tioners and low-​​income patients at a clinic in Masipumelele, a town­ship in Cape Town. She mea­sured vital signs, ana­lyzed urine sam­ples and admin­is­tered preg­nancy tests.

The expe­ri­en­tial learning oppor­tu­nity rein­forced her desire to give back by helping patients get well, like her first co-​​op at Brigham and Women’s Hos­pital, in Boston, where she tested hearing in newborns.

“Since I was 10 years-​​old, I’ve known that I wanted to be a doctor and that I wanted to work in poor areas of the world,” said Patel. “This co-​​op was amazing because it was like a little piece of all the things I said I want to do.”

Many of her patients were infected with HIV or tuber­cu­losis, including one woman who had been HIV pos­i­tive for 14 years. Up to 40 per­cent of the pop­u­la­tion of Masipumelele is infected with either one or both of the diseases.

The HIV pos­i­tive woman had refused to take med­ica­tion. “Some of her friends were on anti­retro­viral drugs and died, so she decided to forego treat­ment and stick to healthful eating and prayer,” said Patel. “She was adamant about not taking med­ica­tion and said she was living for her children.”

In addi­tion to the clinic, Patel vol­un­teered two days a week at the Hokisa Orphanage in Masipumelele where she tutored chil­dren affected by HIV. A 9-​​year-​​old boy named Sive made a par­tic­u­larly strong impact on Patel, who called her friend­ship with the child the “best part of going to South Africa.”

“Every week, I got to know him more and more,” said Patel, who shared music on her iPod with her new friend. “He told me about his weekend, and I would tell him about mine. It was so sad to say goodbye.”

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About the Writer

Jason Kornwitz, AS' 08, has called Northeastern home since 2003. In his spare time, he enjoys playing sports, watching pretentious movies, and cooking kingly breakfasts. Follow him on Twitter @jasonkornwitz.

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